Dragon SpX-14 (CRS-14) – Falcon 9 – Canaveral SLC-40 – 02.04.2018 20:30 UTC

[Старый]

Интересно, никто ещё не додумался выводить в одном запуске два Дракона?

[Apollo13]

OlegIn пишет:
Dragon как имел полную массу около 7-8 тонн

Этот вопрос уже много раз поднимался на форуме. Дракон имеет стартовую массу 10 - 11 т.

http://novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/forum/messages/forum10/topic14210/message1677768/#message1677768

http://novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/forum/messages/forum10/topic14743/message1497464/

OlegIn пишет:
Получается РН работает в холостую.

РН работает почти на максимуме своих возможностей (во всяком случае возможностей Фалкон-9 1.2 Блок 1) с возвратом первой ступени к месту старта.

https://elvperf.ksc.nasa.gov/Pages/Query.aspx

[Hrono]

OlegIn пишет:
Интересно, Falcon-FT может выводить на НОО почти 23 тонны в режиме без посадки и более 15 тонн с посадкой.

 С посадкой на платформу примерно 20 тонн, посмотрите на максимальную скорость разделения ступеней при выведении тяжелых спутников на геопереходную орбиту.

OlegIn пишет:
Получается РН работает в холостую.

 Весь транспорт работает в среднем с недогрузом.

OlegIn пишет:
Я так понимаю что ее недозаправляют?

 Какой в этом смысл? Избыток топлива может помочь разрешить ситуацию с отказом двигателей в полёте.

[Apollo13]

Старый пишет:
Интересно, никто ещё не додумался выводить в одном запуске два Дракона?

Нет это же очевидная глупость. Вот сделать 20-тонный грузовик, который никто не просил "потому что теперь можно". Это же совсем другое дело...

[тавот]

Руслан Т пишет:
С этим грузовым кораблём на орбиту отправились семена боярышника.

Опрометчиво. Теперь на российском сегменте МКС тайком будут готовить настойку боярышника. 

[Hrono]

Зловредный пишет:
Я думаю, ноги им нужны, чтобы поведение ступени в ходе эксперимента было таким же, как у их будущих ступеней, которые они собираются спасать (и для которых они эксперименты эти и проводят).

 Вполне вероятно, тогда интересно, они раскрывают ноги перед падением ступени в океан для полной имитации и есть ли видео с борта? Жаль также, что нет видео с попыток поймать створку обтекателя.

[Чебурашка]

Старый пишет:
Интересно, никто ещё не додумался выводить в одном запуске два Дракона?

А это идея. Сверху с экипажем, а снизу с барахлом.

[Hrono]

Чебурашка пишет:
А это идея. Сверху с экипажем, а снизу с барахлом.

 У Dragon 2 вроде бы будет масса побольше?

 Интересно, что такую штуковину проделывали, запускали связку из двух возвращаемых аппаратов.

[OlegIn]

Apollo13 пишет:
РН работает почти на максимуме своих возможностей (во всяком случае возможностей Фалкон-9 1.2 Блок 1) с возвратом первой ступени к месту старта.

Но в этом (да и в нескольких прошлых драконов) запусках уже используется именно Falcon-FT, а не 1.2. И в этом запуске Falcon-FT запускалась без возврата первой ступени. Тут скорее всего не стали параллельно с развитием РН развивать и дракона, возможно из за сложностей с большой бюрократической машиной НАСА.

[Apollo13]

OlegIn пишет:

Apollo13 пишет:
РН работает почти на максимуме своих возможностей (во всяком случае возможностей Фалкон-9 1.2 Блок 1) с возвратом первой ступени к месту старта.

Но в этом (да и в нескольких прошлых драконов) запусках уже используется именно Falcon-FT, а не 1.2. И в этом запуске Falcon-FT запускалась без возврата первой ступени. Тут скорее всего не стали параллельно с развитием РН развивать и дракона, возможно из за сложностей с большой бюрократической машиной НАСА.

1.2 это и есть FT.

[tnt22]

SpaceX‏Подлинная учетная запись @SpaceX 11 ч. назад

More photos from today's Falcon 9 launch → http://flickr.com/spacex 

Спойлер

[свернуть]

[tnt22]

Brady Kenniston‏ @TheFavoritist 2 ч. назад

Falcon 9 liftoffs at 4:30pm from SLC-40 seen from NASA's beach house.
https://video.twimg.com/tweet_video/DZ3E5zOXUAAXZBw.mp4
(video 0:01)

[tnt22]

https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/04/02/spacex-supply-ship-departs-cape-canaveral-for-space-station/

SpaceX supply ship departs Cape Canaveral for space station
April 2, 2018 | Stephen Clark


A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off Monday fr om Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Credit: SpaceX

Hauling nearly three tons of supplies, hardware and experiments, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket shot into orbit Monday fr om Cape Canaveral, with a previously-flown Dragon cargo carrier riding a reused first stage booster to kick off a nearly two-day journey to the International Space Station.

Спойлер

The commercial cargo delivery flight departed Cape Canaveral with a roar from the Falcon 9's Merlin 1D main engines, producing 1.7 million pounds of thrust to dispatch the 213-foot-tall (65-meter) rocket toward the northeast over the Atlantic Ocean.

The Falcon 9's on-board guidance computer pivoted the rocket on a trajectory to align with the space station's orbital track, and the slender kerosene-fueled launcher climbed through wispy high-level clouds, broke the sound barrier, and arced away from Florida's Space Coast trailing a flickering tongue of orange exhaust.

Nine minutes later, the Falcon 9's upper stage delivered the Dragon supply ship into orbit, followed by deployment of the SpaceX-owned cargo capsule. The Dragon spacecraft extended its solar arrays to begin generating electricity a few minutes later.

"Dragon is in a good orbit, solar arrays have deployed, and the propulsion system is operating nominally," said Jessica Jensen, director of Dragon mission management at SpaceX.

The robotic supply ship will fine-tune its approach to the space station Tuesday, setting up for a laser-guided rendezvous Wednesday that will culminate in the Dragon's capture by the lab's Canadian-built robotic arm around 7 a.m. EDT (1100 GMT).

The supply haul is the 14th cargo mission to the space station launched by SpaceX under a contract with NASA valued at more than $2 billion, covering 20 logistics deliveries through 2019. SpaceX also has a follow-on contract, along with competitors Orbital ATK and Sierra Nevada Corp., for additional resupply missions through 2024.

Monday's launch was the second time SpaceX has flown a reused rocket booster and a reused cargo capsule on the same mission. In sum, SpaceX has launched previously-flown Falcon 9 rocket stages 11 times, all successfully, including two modified boosters on the maiden flight of the company Falcon Heavy rocket.

And all of SpaceX's upcoming resupply missions to the space station, at least for this year and 2019, will employ reused Dragon capsules plucked from the sea and refurbished for future flights.

"What's really neat about this is it's becoming the norm," Jensen said in a pre-launch press conference. "And we like that.

"Reusability is really important for the future of spaceflight," she said, echoing the ethos of SpaceX founder Elon Musk. "It's the only way we're going to get thousands of people to space, to explore the stars, the moon, Mars and to make life multi-planetary. Otherwise, it's just going to be a cost-prohibitive dream."


SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket climbs into space after liftoff Monday. Credit: Stephen Clark/Spaceflight Now

The first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket launched Monday first flew in August 2017 on SpaceX's 12th space station resupply mission, then returned to a landing at Cape Canaveral a few minutes later. The Dragon capsule made a round-trip journey to the space station and back to Earth in April and May of 2016, and the craft was the first to debut improved sealing to prevent sea water from infiltrating critical internal components after splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

The water sealing upgrade "really paid off," Jensen said. "We were able to ... reuse many more components on this vehicle compared to previous Dragons. On this vehicle that's flying ... there are only a handful of things that we are not reusing. Obviously, the trunk is all new, and we still have to have a new heat shield, as well as new parachutes, but almost everything on the interior of the capsule we were able to reuse."

SpaceX did not try to land the first stage on Monday's mission, electing to use the rocket for experimental maneuvers downrange from Cape Canaveral over the Atlantic Ocean.

"We are looking forward to reuse in the long term, and it's always good for us if we can get data that is sort of pushing the bounds," Jensen said before the launch. "In this case, we have a booster that has already flown. We were looking at the service lifetime of that and trading should we bring it back to land or the drone ship, or should we do a demonstration mission.

"This one seemed like a really good opportunity to fly a trajectory a little bit out more toward the limits, and that way our engineers can collect additional data not only during re-entry, but for the landing, that will be useful for the future."

The rocket was expected to make a hard splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean, Jensen said.

Monday's blastoff was the second by a Falcon 9 rocket in three days.

A Falcon 9 rocket, also powered by a previously-flown first stage booster, launched Friday from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, with 10 commercial Iridium communications satellites. The quick turnarounds from coast-to-coast are nothing new for SpaceX, which conducted Falcon 9 flights from Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg as close as two days apart last year.

SpaceX's next rocket launch is scheduled for April 16, when a newly-manufactured booster will hurl NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite into an orbit that eventually will each the beyond the moon. The science probe will try to find planets orbiting bright, relatively nearby stars, worlds that might be ripe for follow-up by bigger observatories like the James Webb Space Telescope.

Engineers at SpaceX's headquarters at Hawthorne, California, will keep busy in the coming days with the Dragon mission.

After its arrival at the space station Wednesday, the Dragon will be maneuvered to a parking port on the Harmony module for a month-long stay. Astronauts will open hatches leading to the cargo freighter, then begin unpacking the approximately 3,794 pounds (1,721 kilograms) of equipment and provisions inside Dragon's pressurized compartment.

Cargo loaded inside Dragon's internal cabin includes food, clothing, care packages, and more than a ton supplies related to scientific investigations.

The experiments carried in Dragon's pressurized module include a robotic testbed satellite that will be released from the space station in the next few months to study the effectiveness of techniques to capture a chunk of space junk and move it out of Earth orbit.

Developed in a public-private partnership between the European Commission and European industry, the RemoveDebris mission will test the utility of nets and harpoons to capture tumbling objects in space, repurposing devices commonly used in fishing to pluck debris out of orbit and bring them into Earth's atmosphere to burn up.

Guglielmo Aglietti, principal investigator for the RemoveDebris mission, calls the project a "proof-of-concept."

Scientists also developed experiments to look at the effects of microgravity on bone marrow and wound healing. Lessons from those studies could help researchers develop ways to counteract negative health effects of long-duration spaceflight or bedrest, and investigate treatments for wounds soldiers suffer in combat.

There is also an experiment in sintering that could help engineers fabricate or repair tools and spacecraft components on future missions.

New high-definition cameras and a custom HP printer for station astronauts also launched inside the Dragon capsule Monday.


A view inside the Dragon spacecraft's trunk, housing (clockwise from upper left) the Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor, the Materials ISS Experiment Flight Facility — a materials exposure experiment platform — and the Pump and Flow Control Subassembly. Credit: SpaceX

While astronauts transfer cargo delivered inside the Dragon module, mission control will command the station's robotic arm to pull three payload packages out of the spaceship's unpressurized trunk section.

One of the payloads is the Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor, or ASIM, an instrument funded by the European Space Agency and led by Danish scientists to study lightning from the space station.

The instrument's optical, X-ray and gamma ray sensors will observe electrical discharges high above thunderstorms — with names like blue jets, red sprites and elves — that extend up to the edge of space.

Scientists know little about how the discharges are triggered, said Torsten Neubert, ASIM science team coordinator at the Technical University of Denmark.

Lightning processes are slowed at high altitude, Neubert said, making it a good laboratory for studying how electrical discharges emanate through the atmosphere.

"They are really lightning, except they are lightning processes in the upper atmosphere," Neubert said of sprites and jets. "So they look a little bit different, but if we understand them, we'll also understand normal lightning much better."

Once mounted outside the European Columbus module, the lightning monitor may help scientists pinpoint the sources of flashes of gamma rays detected coming from Earth's atmosphere by some astronomical instruments in space. Scientists also hope to study lightning's effects on ozone and other gases in the atmosphere during the instrument's two-year observing campaign.

Also inside the trunk: A platform to expose materials like polymers, coatings, fabrics, computer chips, and solar cells to the harsh environment of space, helping engineers design future spacecraft. The Materials ISS Experiment Flight Facility, or MISSE-FF, was developed by Alpha Space, a Houston-based company that wants to offer the platform to companies seeking to test the resilience of materials to extreme temperatures, ionizing radiation, space junk and other hazards of spaceflight.

NASA is also sending up a refurbished coolant pump for staging outside the space station as a spare for the orbiting lab's huge power truss segments.

The Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to remain at the space station until May 2, when the robotic arm will detach the capsule and release it for a re-entry back into Earth's atmosphere. Parachutes will slow the ship's descent into the Pacific Ocean, wh ere SpaceX recovery crews will stand by to retrieve Dragon and its contents.

The Dragon spacecraft will return to Earth with more than 4,000 pounds of equipment and experiment specimens, including a humanoid robot named Robonaut that has been on the space station since 2011. Engineers want to bring Robonaut back home for repairs.

"Robonaut has had some issues with being able to power up on-orbit ... and after a lot of troubleshooting on-orbit and a lot of analysis on the ground, they've concluded pretty conclusively that there's a short of some sort on one of the circuitboards, and they need to bring it home in order to repair that," said Pete Hasbrook, NASA's associate space station program scientist.

Developed as a testbed to see whether robots could help astronauts clean and maintain the space station, Robonaut launched aboard the final flight of the space shuttle Discovery in 2011. A SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule delivered legs for Robonaut in 2014.

Robonaut could be re-launched on a future mission after the repairs are finished.

"The plan is to bring this one down, understand why it failed, and then make the decision of wh ere we want to go in the future," said Joel Montalbano, NASA's deputy space station program manager.

[свернуть]

[tnt22]

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2018/04/03/resupply-ship-midway-to-station-amid-maintenance-and-science-work/

Resupply Ship Midway to Station Amid Maintenance and Science Work

Mark Garcia
Posted Apr 3, 2018 at 11:38 am


The "Horn of Africa" is seen through one of the seven windows that make up the Cupola, a dome-shaped module on the International Space Station. The space station crew will be inside the Cupola Wednesday morning operating a robotics workstation to capture the upcoming SpaceX Dragon.

The SpaceX Dragon space freighter is midway on its trip to the resupply the International Space Station's Expedition 55 crew. Waiting to capture Dragon Wednesday morning are Flight Engineers Norishige Kanai and Scott Tingle.

Спойлер

The two astronauts have been reviewing procedures and training on a computer for Dragon's capture for a few weeks now. Kanai will command the Canadarm2 robotic arm to reach out and grapple Dragon about 7 a.m. EDT Wednesday when it reaches a point about 10 meters away from the station. Tingle is backing up Kanai and will monitor Dragon's approach and rendezvous from inside the Cupola. Flight Engineer Ricky Arnold will be assisting the duo by overseeing approach telemetry from a communications unit on the space station. NASA TV will begin its live mission coverage starting at 5:30 a.m.

Dragon is carrying a variety of cargo including new science experimentsresearching the human body, plants and how materials react when exposed to space. The Marrow study will explore bone marrow and the blood cells it produces. PONDS will explore ways to achieve uniform plant growth as astronauts supplement their diets with fresh space-grown greens. The Materials ISS Experiment Flight Facility, or MISSE-FF, will observe what happens to materials exposed to outer space phenomena such as ultraviolet radiation, charged particles and micro-meteoroids.
...

... Kanai readied mouse habitat gear for a rodent study being delivered on Dragon. Kanai and Tingle later ended the day with more Dragon robotics practice.

[свернуть]

[tnt22]

http://spaceflight101.com/dragon-crs-14-falcon-9-launch-photos/

Photos: Recycled Falcon 9 – Dragon Combination Blasts Off from Florida
 April 3, 2018 

A flight-proven Falcon 9 – the ninth of its kind to take flight – lifted off from SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 20:30:38 UTC on April 2nd, 2018 with the Dragon SpX-14 spacecraft, a previously-flown Dragon with 33 days of spaceflight experience. Falcon 9 successfully lifted Dragon into Low Earth Orbit via a 162-second first stage and six-minute second stage burn, sending it off on a 25-orbit rendezvous with the International Space Station to deliver 2,647 Kilograms of cargo, including three external payloads and an innovative debris removal satellite. SpaceX did not recover the first stage and used its descent toward a soft splashdown landing to collect data on borderline flight environments.

All Photos: Erik Kuna, erikkuna.com

Спойлер

[свернуть]

[tnt22]

DutchSpace‏ @DutchSpace 40 мин. назад

The @spacex #CRS14 #Dragon with #ESA @esaspaceflight #ASIM @ASIM_Payload is currently ~20 minutes ahead of the #ISS and closing in on a Western European pass

[tnt22]

http://spaceflight101.com/dragon-spx14/cargo-overview/

Dragon SpX-14 Cargo Overview

Dragon SpX-14 is the fourteenth operational mission of SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract. It is the first of at least three Dragon cargo missions planned in 2018.

Спойлер

Loaded with more than two and a half metric tons of cargo, Dragon will be delivering the typical mix of utilization hardware, maintenance gear and cew supplies to the Space Station to keep up its capability of serving as a world-class laboratory in Low Earth Orbit. The 14th regular Dragon flight will carry three external payloads to the Space Station: the MISSE Flight Facility as a new state-of-the-art exposure facility for materials science outside the Space Station, the ASIM instrument to study interactions where Earth's atmosphere meets space, and a spare pump assembly for the Station's photovoltaic power-generation system.

The Dragon SpX-14 mission is part of the CRS-1 contact extension awarded by NASA to bridge a gap to the second round of Commercial Resupply Services contracts that cover the Space Station's cargo requirements for the first half of the 2020s. Under the CRS-1 extension, SpaceX will keep flying Dragon 1 spacecraft through CRS-20 while Orbital ATK received an order of three additional missions.

Dragon SpX-14 is the third SpaceX cargo mission to fly a re-used spacecraft and the second to employ a "flight-proven" Falcon 9 first stage as part of the company's re-use business model that has taken major steps toward becoming routine over the past year. The SpX-14 mission is re-using the Dragon C110 spacecraft that spent 33 days in orbit in April/May 2016 supporting the Dragon SpX-8 mission, delivering 3,136 Kilograms of cargo to the Space Station including the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module. The Falcon 9 launching this mission will employ Booster #1039 fr om the SpX-12 mission of August 2017.

NASA completed extensive reviews of data on the condition of previously flown Falcon 9 first stages and life-leader experimentation as well as SpaceX's successful re-use missions in 2017 to conclude that the use of flight-proven first stages comes with no to minimal additional risk to the success of the overall CRS mission. Engineering reviews cleared Dragon missions to fly on first stages with no more than one prior Low Earth Orbit mission, excluding first stages that have gone through more rigorous re-entry environments when flying higher energy missions like GTO deliveries. Dragon SpX-13 in late 2017 was the first NASA CRS mission to fly on a previously used Falcon 9.


Image: NASA

All in all, Dragon SpX-14 is delivering 2,647 Kilograms of cargo to the International Space Station, primarily focused on utilization hardware and dozens of science experiments – some of which are to be completed while Dragon is attached to ISS in order to ride back to Earth on the spacecraft. Also aboard the Dragon is the largest satellite to be deployed fr om the Space Station to date.

Dragon takes a unique spot on the Space Station's cargo vehicle roster, given its ability of returning meaningful quantities of cargo to the ground – allowing for the return to performed experiments for laboratory analysis and the return of failed hardware for inspections and/or refurbishment. To that end, Dragon SpX-14 will be tasked with ferrying nearly two metric tons of cargo back to Earth, primarily consisting of science hardware and experiment samples riding back to the ground in laboratory freezers and double cold bags.

[/li]
• Total Cargo: 2,647 Kilograms
• Pressurized Cargo (with packaging): 1,721 Kilograms
• Science Investigations: 1,070 Kilograms
• Satellites: Remove Debris, Overview 1A (?)
  

[/li][li]Vehicle Hardware: 148 Kilograms[/li][li]Crew Supplies: 344 Kilograms[/li][li]Computer Resources: 49 Kilograms[/li][li]Spacewalk Equipment: 99 Kilograms[/li][li]Russian Cargo: 11 Kilograms
[/li][/LIST][/li][li]Unpressurized Cargo: 926 Kilograms

[/li]
• MISSE-FF – Materials on ISS Experiment – Flight Facility
• ASIM – Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor
• PFCS – Pump Flow Control Subassembly
  

[/li][/LIST]
[/li][/LIST]

[свернуть]

RemoveDebris Satellite

>> RemoveDebris Satellite Overview

MISSE Flight Facility

>> Detailed MISSE-FF Overview

ASIM – Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor

>> ASIM Instrument Overview

PFCS Spare

>> PFCS Overview

NASA Sample Cartridge Assembly

Спойлер

Liquid phase sintered tungsten alloy – Image: San Diego State University

The MSL SCA-GEDS-German experiment will be run in the Materials Science Laboratory aboard ESA's Columbus module to look into the underlying mechanisms of sintering processes and their ability of creating hardened materials. The Physical Sciences experiment was developed at San Diego State University under Principal Investigator Randall German.

Sintering is the process of compacting and forming a solid mass of material by heat or pressure, typically with the goal of creating a hardened piece of material. Typically, sintering occurs without melting the material to the point of liquefecation, though liquid-phase sintering has been a method used for the fabrication of net-shaped composite materials.

Although sintering has been used for centuries and is a critical element in a large number of industrial branches today, the underlying scientific principles are only poorly understood. The goal of this experiment is to determine the mechanisms driving the density, size, shape, and properties for liquid phase sintered bodies in Earth-gravity and microgravity conditions with special focus on the causes of distortion in the material that appears to be alleviated by the presence of a gravitational force.


Material Science Lab – Image: ESA

During low-temperature sintering, powders can gain strength through interparticle bonding – typically through solid-state surface diffusion, followed by further strengthening at high temperatures driven by densification of the powder material. However, a secondary process occurring at high temperatures causes a softening of the material due to a distortion phenomenon. While conducive for the formation of net-shaped composites it is counterproductive if only densification is desired. Working out the interplay between the various processes may allow for a sintering method to be developed that can accomplish densification without distortion.

Previous studies have shown surprising results as gravity may be playing a beneficial role in reducing distortion – in contrast to a very large number of physical processes wh ere gravity has been identified as a disturbing force. Microgravity liquid-phase sintering experiments performed to date have shown a lesser degree of densification and higher distortion, raising questions on the underlying mechanisms to fully understand the role of gravity to work out routes for minimized distortion.

It has been found that when a liquid phase forms, densification can be accelerated via solid transport within the liquid, capillary forces and liquid lubrication. This, however, only works to a certain degree as long as there are solid bonds or open pores in the sintering body. If the degree of liquefecation outweighs the solid material, substantial weakness is introduced.

Scientists have likened this process to building a sand castle which works poorly when one only has dry sand with no strength and no ability to hold shape or when sand is saturated with water. It works best with an intermediate mix wh ere the liquid pulls the sand grains into contact and gives the greatest strength.


Image: ESA

The MSL SCA-GEDS-German experiment observes phase changes and product formation within solid mixtures undergoing spontaneous reaction in the absence of gravity to find out what causes lower performance, an inability to eliminate pores, and higher distortion. Cartridges with different sample materials will be delivered to ISS by Dragon SpX-14 and fully processed within the Materials Science Laboratory (MSL) Low Gradient Furnace (LGF) followed by return to Earth for sample analysis with the added context of temperature profiles and other sensor data from the furnace.

Knowledge gained by this experiment will be beneficial for sintering processes on Earth as information on the underlying mechanisms of distortion will lead to better protocols to increase densification. For the spacefarers of the future, knowledge on sintering in zero- or reduced gravity environments is of importance as extraterrestrial repair and construction based on freeform fabrication from powders will be a key element of settlements on the Moon, Mars and beyond.

[свернуть]

Nano Racks Microscopes Facility

Спойлер

Photo: NanoRacks

The NanoRacks Microscope Facility hosts three Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) microscopes for use on the International Space Station to study in-situ samples in a simplified architecture using plug-and-play USB interfaces to allow the microscopes to be used from any laptop. "The NanoRacks Microscopes are ideally suited for examining specimen slides of yeasts and molds, cultures, plant and animal parts, fibers, bacteria, etc"

The first of the three Microscopes offers objectives for 5x, 10x and 20x magnification, Microscope-2 has the same video head but adds a lighting system and offers 20x to 40x, and 200x digital power magnification as well as a 20x eyepiece for viewing with 4x to 8x, and 50x power. Microscope-3 is a handheld microscope with a 5-megapixel imager, adjustable polarization to set the proper light level and reduce glare, eight LEDs for sample illumination, and 10x to 240x zoom magnification.

[свернуть]

Multi-Use Variable-G Platform

Спойлер

Image: Techshot

The Multi-Use Variable-G Platform, MVG, is a product of Techshot to expand the Space Station's scientific repertoire by adding a new centrifuge facility capable of producing anything between microgravity and 2 G of artificial gravity. This will open up possibilities for a large number of studies, including commercial exploitation of the novel environment found on the International Space Station. MVG is suitable for a number of sample types, including fruit flies, flatworms, plants, fish, cells, protein crystals and many others.

MVP is a commercially developed, manufactured, owned and operated platform, offering a pair of 39-centimeter carousels that can produce up to 2G of artificial gravity with six experiment modules on each carousel. The facility is designed to allow for easy exchange of sample modules, permitting a large number of experiments to be completed with little crew time requirements. Real-time video and still imagery, including microscopy, can be provided for each sample module per the specific needs of every experiment and the facility provides additional environmental control with a temperature range of 14 to 40 °C and a humidity between 50 ad 80% while data logging is provided for Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide.

[свернуть]

Veggie PONDS

Спойлер

Veggie Facility – Photo: NASA

Veggie PONDS uses the existing Veggie plant-growth hardware present on the International Space Station as well as knowledge gained through the initial experiment runs to develop a passive nutrient delivery system that could build the basis for the reliable plant production facilities on future long-duration space missions. PONDS, the Passive Orbital Nutrient Delivery System, addresses some of the deficiencies found with the standard plant pillow system employed by the initial Veggie runs and will also expand the facility's envelope by supporting larger leafy vegetables and fruit crops like tomatoes which will be grown as part of the Veg-05 experiment.

The PONDS system is designed to mitigate microgravity effects on water distribution, increase oxygen exchange and provide sufficient room for root zone growth. The initial PONDS experiment has the goal of validating whether improved water and nutrient delivery can produce a more uniform plant growth and increase crop yields.


Lettuce Plants growing inside Veggie Facility – Photo: NASA

The experiment will use 'Outredgeous' red romaine lettuce and mizuna mustard plants, the former has been used for studies Veg-01 through Veg-03 and will allow for comparisons between plant pillows and PONDS. Another aspect will be studying the microbial load of plants grown during the initial Veggie runs and those provided with PONDS technology.

The PONDS architecture was designed at the Kennedy Space Center and involves contributions by TechShot, and commercial partner Tupperware. PONDS retains the arcillite, a calcined clay type, as growth medium which has been sel ected through comparative studies in the earlier Veggie runs and PONDS continues as single-use hardware, only employed for one growth run to manage microbial contamination. Like previous runs, PONDS will use the cut-and-come again harvest technique with four planned harvests or more if plant growth allows.

The crew will be cleared to consume any lettuce that is not needed for analysis on the ground.


Mixed Crops inside Veggie – Photo: NASA

Veg-01 ran in 2014 and provided valuable data in the form of returned water samples and root pads, imagery acquired in orbit of the growth process, and plant samples that were brought back to Earth. This data helped investigators assess the two different growth media with respect to water and root distribution within the different sized particles to chose media for future Veggie missions.

Although the overall Veg-01 experiment was a success, a number of deficiencies with regard to the plant pillows and the water delivery systems were identified leading to modifications made to the pillows and watering procedures that will be tested by Veg-03, also introducing a different crop with different water requirements. In 2015, the Space Station crew got their first taste of home-grown lettuce harvested from the Veggie Plant Growth Unit. Another 2015 study provided the crew with a touch of color when the first flowers grown on ISS were harvested by Astronaut Scott Kelly.


Space-Grown Zinnia Flowers in Veggie Facility – Photo: NASA

Veg-03 A-C tested different crop harvest techniques, showing that cut-and-come again repetitive harvest could be used to double the amount harvested with the same set of starting materials; Veg-03 B and C tested a new crop, Tokyo bekana. The Veg-03 D-F experiments looked into mixed growth of different leafy greens and different harvest schedules.

The Veggie experiment facility provides lighting and nutrient supply and is capable of supporting a variety of plant species that can be cultivated for educational outreach, fresh food and even recreation for crewmembers on long-duration missions. Thermal control is provided fr om ISS in-cabin systems and the carbon dioxide source is the ambient air aboard ISS.

Plants grown in the Veg-03 facility will be observed to determine how plants sense gravity and how they respond to microgravity. Serving as a pathfinder, the plants grown as part of VEGGIE will be harvested and studied before being cleared for consumption by crew members in orbit. The VEGGIE facility is the largest volume available aboard ISS for plant growth, which will allow the study of larger plants that could not be grown in previous experiments.


Photo: ORBITEC

Veggie uses a plant growth chamber using planting pillows and an LED bank to provide lighting. Ground testing of the pillow planting concept led to the selection of growth media and fertilizers, plant species, materials, and protocols. The facility weighs 7.2 Kilograms and measures 53 by 40 centimeters and permits a maximum growth height of 45 centimeters. The root mat has a growing area of 0.16m² with a 2-liter fluid reservoir.

The system draws 115W of peak power and its LED banks can support adjustable wavelengths, light levels and day and night cycles to match the biological needs of the plants. A transparent teflon cover allows viewing of the plants. The plants will be photographed regularly to assess plant growth rates and health. Tissue samples will provide information on possible growth anomalies when being compared to ground controls. Environmental data will be provided by a data logger that measures temperature, humidity and pCO2.

The first studies performed with VEGGIE will also provide microbial samples of the plants and pillows to assess the level of microbial contamination and implement corrective measures if needed. For most species, microbial contamination levels will be well within limits and pose no threat to the crew. Other species that naturally have higher levels of microorganisms may need a sanitation method which must be developed and tested as part of the experiment. Growing plants in space provides crewmembers with fresh foods to supplement their diets, as well as a positive effect on morale and well-being.

[свернуть]

 ...

[triage]

Вопрос из зала

для чего отмечено судно?

Хотя наверное для

http://spaceflight101.com/dragon-crs-14-falcon-9-launch-photos/
...
 SpaceX did not recover the first stage and used its descent toward a soft splashdown landing to collect data on borderline flight environments.

[Александр Репной]

Во сколько по времени сегодня стыковка дракоши с МКС?

[tnt22]

Александр Репной пишет:
Во сколько по времени сегодня стыковка дракоши с МКС?

Начало трансляции НАСА - в 05:30 EDT (09:30 UTC, 12:30 ДМВ), захват манипулятором - около 07:00 EDT (11:00 UTC, 14:00 ДМВ)